Haldane filmmaker is living the American dream

Sharon Colman from Haldane is living in California as an animator and has launched a crowdfunding bid for new independent film Roamin'

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An Oscar-nominated filmmaker has launched a bid to create her own independent movie.

Sharon Colman is living the American dream in southern California after uprooting from her home in Haldane to chase her film-making dreams.

The 38-year-old, who lived in Cook Road, was headhunted by Dreamworks after she was nominated for an Academy Award in 2006 for her short film ‘Badgered’.

Since then the talented animator, who went to Haldane Primary and the Vale of Leven Academy, has worked on a number of big-name movies, including ‘The Lego Movie’, ‘How to Train your Dragon’, ‘The Croods’ and ‘Wacky Races’.

Now she is working on an independent film called Roamin’, which uses traditional hand-drawn animation to tell a satirical story about the American bison’s struggle.

Image from Sharon Colman's film Roamin'

The former Glasgow School of Art student said: “I was always going to be an artist from an early age. I was attracted to comic timing and the suspense created with the moving image.

“As I loved drawing and I love particular cartoons, animation was a natural progression.

“‘Badgered’ was my graduation film at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, which is where I got my MA in animation direction.

“We were sending the film off to a bunch of film festivals and the school decided to put it through the qualifying process for the Academy Awards.

“I love telling stories to the tribe. I only wish it was easier to get an independent film off the ground.

“I do love my job but it’s not easy. It’s actually very challenging to build a film.”

Living near the UK’s submarine base was the inspiration for ‘Badgered’ and she wrote the dark comedy about a badger whose need for tranquility is disturbed by a nuclear storage depot.

She explained: “I wanted to write a satire about the environment from an animal’s point of view.

“I grew up near RNAD Coulport, where they store conventional missiles under the hills.

“You could drive past and never know they were there so I often wondered what an underground dwelling animal would think about that.

“But it was to be a comedy and I didn’t want the film to be preachy. Once I decided on a badger, I focused on his story and the environmental issue of missiles under the hills became an undertone.

“The film got the attention of Dreamworks Animation and they offered me a position in their story department.”

Sharon’s family all live in Balloch or close by and she visits as much as she can.

She lives in California with skydiving instructor husband Michael Graham. The pair met during a skydiving lesson on her 30th birthday.

She said: “I try to get home as much as I can because I do miss my family and Scotland, especially when we have Balloch Park on our doorstep.

“California is very different. Especially this summer, when we had 44°C heat.

“And, yes, I miss the rain very much!

“I live frugally so that I can pursue personal projects like Roamin’. A lot of people fall into the gilded cage but I guess my Scottish roots kept me on the ground.

“With a background in business admin, Michael is also helping manage the Kickstarter campaign.”

Sharon is hoping local residents will get behind her bid to create Roamin’ and she is offering a number of exciting rewards which are exclusive to financial backers.

Explaining the film, she said: “The idea behind Roamin’ was to give wildlife a voice.

“Humans have an unintended effect on our ecosystem that isn’t easy on wildlife. It’s a challenge to make this message attractive, which is why I enjoy satire. The best humour is truthful.